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The Private Patient by P. D. James
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The Private Patient

by P. D. James

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581257,109 (3.81)25
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Showing 1-5 of 25 (next | show all)
Hard to get into, disappointed with the ending.
Rodallen | Jun 5, 2009 |  
P.D. James does not disappoint. However, it felt like a 'wrapping up loose ends of romance & happily ever after' sort of book & ending; enjoyed it nonetheless & will be sorry if this is her last book. ( )
azdiana53 | May 20, 2009 |  
It's interesting to read so many positive reviews of this book. My feelings on finishing it were that P. D. James, once very much a leader of the serious crime-fiction pack, has long since been overtaken by another generation of writers. I speak as an admirer of her previous books, all of which (I think) I've read. But I found this tale so very slow, dated and, frankly, unbelievable, on far too many levels.

Granted, the classic James elements - an isolated setting, a small handful of characters who may or may not have mysterious past histories, Dalgliesh's philosophical musings - are all present and correct. But this is 2009; as a previous reviewer has pointed out, most English people just don't speak or behave any more in the way they do in this book (nor do they change into 'country tweeds' to drive to Dorset!). There was a gallant attempt to introduce more contemporary elements into the story with the inclusion of Emma's gay friends, but they still didn't remotely convince me as characters rather than as a token bit of 'diversity'.

James's calm, forensic style, in which no-one ever gets particularly upset, hysterical, angry or euphoric (one of her favourite phrases is that things happen 'just as expected') works against her at times: it's hard to see how the murderer could ever have got worked up enough to kill anyone, given that the characters mostly appear to be in excellent control of their emotions. And as for Dalgliesh....I'm afraid to say that, for me, his almost godlike infallibility became a serious irritant. I'd agree with Bookmarque that the Dalgliesh-Emma relationship is so unlikely as to be verging on the creepy.

I too am sorry to be judging so negatively, but I felt the plot was minimal, the denouement rushed and badly-telegraphed (I actually had to go back and read several pages again because the revelation of the murderer's identity was so casually dropped in, almost as an afterthought), and there was simply no sense that the action was rooted in the here and now. P. D. James has had a stellar career as 'Queen of Crime' and I applaud her. But I don't think this book remotely measures up to her earlier work. ( )
Fougasse | May 16, 2009 |  
A classic piece of high quality English detective fiction. Reflective and thoughtful, with great characters and good writing - this is a really fine example of the genre ( )
Jennifertapir | May 2, 2009 |  
Detective Inspector Adam Dagliesh investigates the murder of patient at a prestigious English clinic located in the country. Thoroughly enjoyable, I found myself wishing for the audiobook instead of reading the story. ( )
phoenixcomet | Apr 29, 2009 |  
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People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Awards and honors
Epigraph
Dedication
This book is dedicated to
Stephen Page, publisher,
and to all my friends, old and new, at Faber and Faber
in celebration of my forty-six unbroken years
as a Faber author
First words
On November the 21st, the day of her forty-seventh birthday, and three weeks and two days before she was murdered, Rhoda Gradwyn went to Harley Street to keep a first appointment with her plastic surgeon, and there is a consulting room designed, so it appeared, to inspire confidence and allay apprehension, made the decision that would lead inexorably to her death.
Quotations
There was a moment in which, not touching the scar, he scrutinised it in silence. Then he switched off the light and sat again behind the desk. His eyes on the file before him, he said, 'And you waited thirty-four years to do something about it. Why now, Miss Gradwyn?'

There was a pause, then she said, 'Because I no longer have need of it.'
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Book description

Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0307270777, Hardcover)

Cheverell Manor is a lovely old house in deepest Dorset, now a private clinic belonging to the famous plastic surgeon George Chandler-Powell. When investigative journalist Rhoda Gradwyn arrived there one late autumn afternoon, scheduled to have a disfiguring and long-standing facial scar removed, she had every expectation of a successful operation and a pleasant week recuperating.

Two days later she was dead, the victim of murder.

To Commander Adam Dalgliesh, who with his team is called in to investigate the case, the mystery at first seems absolute. Few things about it make sense. Yet as the detectives begin probing the lives and backgrounds of those connected with the dead woman—the surgeon, members of the manor staff, close acquaintances—suspects multiply all too rapidly. New confusions arise, including strange historical overtones of madness and a lynching 350 years in the past. Then there is a second murder, and Dalgliesh finds himself confronted by issues even more challenging than innocence or guilt.

P. D. James has gained an enviable reputation for creating detective stories of uncommon depth and intricacy, combined with the sort of humanity and perceptiveness found only in the finest novelists. The Private Patient ranks among her very best.

(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:05 -0400)

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